1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a safety gate locking strap and a safety gate assembly including the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a safety gate locking strap configured to prevent an opening of a safety gate by a pet or child, and a safety gate assembly that includes the safety gate locking strap to secure the safety gate.
2. Background
In homes occupied by small children and pets, portable barrier devices are frequently used in order to restrict access to a particular room or portion of the house. These barrier devices are typically placed within an opening to a room in the house (e.g., across a door opening leading to the room). When they are effective, these portable barrier devices operate as impassable barriers to the prohibited space or room so as to prevent the passage of the small child and/or pet through the access way into the space or room. As such, when effective, the portable barrier devices help to ensure the safety of the small child and/or pet by restricting them to a permissible area in the house (e.g., away from dangerous and/or restricted areas, such as stairs, and dangerous items in the house, etc.). Also, the portable barrier devices may be used to protect the contents of the space or room from potential damage that may be inflicted on the room contents by the small children and/or pets (e.g., damage to furniture, etc.).
However, these portable barrier devices commonly have a number of shortcomings that inhibit their effective use in homes. First of all, the latching device that is provided on these portable barrier devices for securing them in place is often able to be disengaged by the small child or pet, thereby circumventing the restriction imposed by the barrier device. For example, as a child gets older, he or she may eventually learn how to disengage the latching device on the portable barrier device. Similarly, a pet may be able to disengage the latching device by applying a sufficient force against the portable barrier device. In addition, an attempt to prevent the unwanted disengagement of the latching device on the portable barrier device by the small child or pet may result in a barrier device arrangement that inhibits the ability of the barrier device to be easily removed by an adult when required (e.g., placing obstructions in front of the barrier may help prevent the unwanted opening of the barrier, but it will also inhibit its intended functionality). Because these barrier devices are often restricting access between two rooms in a house, they need to be easily removable when the passage between the rooms is desired by adults.
Therefore, what is needed is a device for preventing the unwanted opening of a portable room barrier device or safety gate by a small child or pet. Moreover, a safety gate assembly is needed that effectively prevents the unwanted opening of a safety gate by utilizing a locking device that is virtually unable to be disengaged by a small child or pet. Furthermore, there is a need for a device that prevents the unwanted opening of a portable room barrier device or safety gate, but does not substantially interfere with the portability of the safety gate or the ability of an adult to remove the safety gate when desired.